Lonestar Calling
by KyoKati
Summary: When playboy Tony Sawyer moves to the small town of Bluebird, Texas, he meets Alys Murphy. Is she the only one who can resist him? Or is she just too hardened to fall in love again? Rated T for some violence and death.
1. Chapter 1

Lonestar Calling is my own idea, however, any and all characters from the other Lonestar books are owned by Colleen Coble. This story was inspired by Carrie Underwood's 'Cowboy Casanova', but the song itself is not in here. ^^ Thank you for reading!

* * *

"Allie, are you sure it's okay?" the strawberry-blonde woman asked.

"Of course!" Mrs. Bailey responded,"Rick has always said how he wishes things were like in the old days, when the whole community would come together for a barn-raising!"

"And just among us,"whispered Gracie Wayne,"I think the boys only came for the food."

Then Shannon MacGowen chimed in,"No, they are having too much fun showing off to us to be worried about food!"

All four women laughed as they set up the picnic tables with food. The men and women of little Bluebird had come out into the middle of nowhere to help Alys build a house. Allie, Shannon, and Gracie had convinced their husbands, who had told other people. Alys could see now why her grandfather had told stories of barn-raising with such glee when she was a child. In any case, Alys was grateful that she had such wonderful neighbors.

"Alys, where's Ben?" asked Shannon.

"Hmm? Oh, Rick took him back to town to pick up some special rods,"Alys grimaced,"Don't even ask. I have no idea what I am going to do with that boy,"she sighed. The pain of losing his father was hard for both of them, and even more so since the boy was now technically an orphan.

"I wouldn't know what to do if anything happened to Michael," Gracie said quietly.

"How is he enjoying America?" Allie bubbled, trying to turn the talk to lighter things.

"Oh, it's not that different from England. But I think the culture shock hit him pretty hard,"Alys giggled,"Yesterday, he told me that he wished that people would stop talking to him, because he gets headaches trying to 'translate what they are saying into comprehensive English'."

The women laughed. Several of the men stopped their work and turned at the sound. Just then, Jack MacGowen walked up behind their little group and said loudly,"If you ladies have time to socialize, and laugh at who-knows-what, then you have time to help us build a house!"

Shannon looked up at her husband with obvious teasing in her eyes,"Oh, hello, dear. We were just about to; but, you know, we do have all this food to set up,"she looked around and her friends nodded sadly,"I'm afraid there's simply no time for us to play house with you. Not when there's all this work to do."

Jack sighed, playing along,"In that case, I think we will have to stop our 'play' and help you to get rid of all this food,"he nodded sagely,"And then you will have time to play with us."

"Oh, if you must,"Allie said,"Go and get the children, and we'll make them wash up."

Jack called break to the other men, then he and Michael went to gather the kids. After each child was scrubbed thoroughly, everyone stood around the long picnic tables, waiting for Grady to pray.

"Dear Father, we come to you today to asking you to bless this meal. Please help us to finish the house, so that Alys and Benjamin can move into it-,"he started.

"Amen!"shouted Rick from the place where everyone had parked. He and Ben made their way across the yard and washed their hands before taking their places with family.

"So, like I was saying, help us to finish the house. And please hold back any storms, for while they are beautiful, they would hinder our project. We pray for your guidance, and that the Murphy's life will be happy here. Amen!"

'Amen!' was heard all across the almost-empty expanse, a melody rang out, ranging from the tiny squeak of Shannon's Jack Jr. to the loud, cheerful timbre of Michael's voice.

"Let's eat, everyone!"someone shouted.


	2. Chapter 2

Lonestar Calling is my own idea, however, any and all characters from the other Lonestar books are owned by Colleen Coble. This story was inspired by Carrie Underwood's 'Cowboy Casanova', but the song itself is not in here. ^^ Thank you for reading!

* * *

Tony Sawyer sighed as he gulped down the rest of his Scotch.

"So, I was thinking that on Sunday, we could go on a picnic, and then to the movies, to see that new John Falix movie. And on Thursday, I'm free after six, so we should visit the seafood restaurant again, that one you like so much," he toned her out and nodded to the bartender for another round. Seriously, after only three dates, this woman was planning on occupying all his time. Tony finally caught the eye of the woman across the bar. He had been watching her since she had arrived nearly an hour ago, and so far, she had ignored every man who came up to her.

Tony gazed away casually, and saw her gasp slightly out of the corner of his eye. 'Hmm' he thought 'I'm not going to be escorting Mary home tonight.'

"So?' the girl tugged on his sleeve,"What do you think?"

"About what?" he asked impatiently as he poured another round.

"Can you get off work next week? I'm going to visit my parents, and was wondering if you would come?" Mary looked at him pleadingly.

"All right," he agreed, smiling,"But I can't take off Thursday. I have to take care of my niece."

"Aw! That is so sweet of you!" she squealed. Tony wished she would tone it down a bit.

"Yeah, thanks. Listen, I'm gonna have to call you a cab," he sighed, "I just walked here from my house, and it's too late at night for you to walk all the way home."

"All right,"she agreed,"See you Sunday." They stood up, and Tony paid his bill. Then, taking Mary's elbow, he gently guided her outside, shut her into a cab, and waited until it was gone. Then, he re-entered the bar, ordered a Pils and an apple martini for the lady across the bar. He resumed the seat he had taken before, and nonchalantly pretended to ignore her.

After several minutes had passed, and the woman was not at his side, he decided to continue his plan. Slowly, deliberately, he turned and surveyed the room, his eyes resting on a lady near enough to the gorgeous woman that he could be mistaken for her, but far enough away that she would know it was not for her. He winked at his chosen target, and continued to eye her with fake admiration. His actions did not have quite the desired effect, but the woman continued to stare at him long after he had turned away. After another bottle of Pils failed to drown out any sensation, he left a bill with a large tip, and went outside to hail a cab back home. As he opened the door, the woman from the bar hopped in and winked at him,"Thanks, sweetie. And thanks for the drink. Driver, please take me to 209 Farlowe Drive, East. Thank you."

Tony locked the address into his memory. Later, he would send her some flowers. As he watched the cab drive away, he thought,'I am going to have fun with this one.' Then he hailed another cab, and told the cabby his address.

By the time he got home, it was around ten'o clock, but the lights were still on. Man, the babysitter hadn't left yet. He was so going to get chewed out again. Quietly, he opened the door, if only to let Gail continue sleeping. But this was not the case. As soon as he opened the door, his ears were assaulted with the sound of crying. He sighed, Gail was having nightmares again, he didn't doubt it. He resigned himself to spending most of the rest of the night soothing her back to sleep.

Tony slipped off his shoes at the door, took off his jacket, and loosened his tie. "Gail, I'm home!" he called.

The girl gave a small hiccup, and launched herself off the babysitter's lap and into his waiting arms,"Daddy!"

"My poor girl, did you have the bad dream again?" he asked gently. His daughter nodded, wrapped her small arms tightly around his neck, and laid her head on his shoulder. "Alright, Daddy's here, don't worry. Don't worry, the bad man can't get you now."

The little girl sobbed quietly into his neck, and he sat down next to Elaine, "Well?" he wanted to get this over with.

"Nothing. As soon as I started to leave, Gail Elizebeth started crying. So I stayed until you came," the girl said. Tony sighed. Underneath the calm demeanor, he could tell that she was mad at him. Ah, well, if she didn't want to yell at him today, there would be plenty of chances later. And Tony really wanted to get Gail into bed. He had to be to work early tomorrow.

So, he handed Elaine the twenty that he gave her every night, and followed her to the door. "Say good-bye to Elaine, Sweet."

Gail sniffled, but didn't lift her head when she said,"Bye-bye, Lain."

Elaine giggled,"Good bye, Honey. I'll see you tomorrow." The teenager left and strolled down to the next house, waving before entering the door.

Tony spent the next hour and a half soothing his daughter back to sleep, after which he laid his head on her bed and fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Lonestar Calling is my own idea, however, any and all characters from the other Lonestar books are owned by Colleen Coble. This story was inspired by Carrie Underwood's 'Cowboy Casanova', but the song itself is not in here. ^^ Thank you for reading!

* * *

_"Sahra!" he shouted,"Sahra, where are you? Sahra!"_

_He rounded the next unfamiliar corner of the unfamiliar town. Running through each door of the abandoned street, he called out the name of his wife and daughter,"Sahra! Where are you? Sahra! Gail!" Sobbing, he collapsed to his knees,"Gail! Gail, Sahra..." As his cries subsided, he sat on the cold, wet ground. Then, he heard a faint cry. He stumbled to his feet, blindly following in the direction of the sound. He didn't hear it again, and could only hope he was going in the right direction to save his family. His hands shook as he opened the door of the next building – what he guessed to have been a restaurant. "Sahra!" he cried,"Gail! Where are you?"_

_A woman screamed. A little girl was crying. "Tony! Don't come! Stay away!" his wife called out to him, the fear draining from her voice, only to be replaced by concern,"They didn't do anything to Gail. They will send her out to you. Just stay there, and don't come any closer!"_

_He took a step closer,"Sahra,"he whispered. 'God, help my wife. Help me to know how to save Sahra and Gail. Even if it means my demise, help me to rescue them safely, please!'_

_"Daddy! Daddy," his Sweet wailed. His heart stopped, and in the next instant, he raced through the door to his girls._

_"We warned you, Tony," said a voice to his left, he struck out at the sound,"If you had stayed away, only the woman would be gone. But now you will all have to die."_

_"Why! Why are you doing this?" he gasped, as he swirled around,"What do you want?"_

_The voice laughed,"Your sister." The last thing he heard was a ticking and then a loud crash as her flung his daughter out the door and raced towards his wife._

_"Daddy? Daddy!"Gail cried._

He bolted upright, falling to the floor as he did so. His daughter was by his side in an instant, smoothing his hair as she tried to calm him down. Tony sighed and rubbed his neck, he was stiff from sleeping in such an awkward position.

"Daddy have bad dream. It's okay, Gail here."

"Thank you, Sweet. Daddy's fine now," he scooped her up and headed to the dresser.

"Daddy have a dream about Mommy?" the almost-two-year-old asked.

Instead of answering her question, he pulled off her nightgown, and tugged a clean shirt over her head,"What do you want for breakfast to day, Gail?" he asked even though he knew the answer.

"Eggs!"she clapped her hands in delight,"Daddy, cook eggs!"

"Alright, alright. Daddy'll cook eggs!"he chuckled at his daughter's antics, and finally succeeded in dressing her properly after a fair amount of squirming,"What do you want to do tomorrow, Sweet? Should we go to the park? Or go swimming?"

"To the park!"she said happily.

"The park it is, then,"he made a mental note to ask Elaine to fix them a picnic lunch.

Tony cooked her eggs: scrambled with milk and cheese, and handed her a fork. He set down a cup of apple juice in front of her. He fixed himself an omelet and watched his daughter finish her food. When she was done, he quickly ate his own meal, and put their dishes in the sink.

He took Gail to kindergarten, and left for his office.

~~~~~ Sunday ~~~~~

"Picnic! Picnic!" sang the little girl as they walked to the park.

Tony laughed, and set the bag of food on a table,"Want me to push you on the swings, Gail?" he asked.

"Yes!" So, he pushed Gail on the swing until she squealed with delight.

"Daddy," she said matter-of-factly after about a half hour of that activity,"is lunch time."

"So it is," Tony agreed, "Sweet, do you want some ice cream?"

"Please!" Gail smiled happily.

"What flavor?"

"'Nilla!" she replied.

"Of course!" he went over to the dollar store across the street, and bought a vanilla ice and a strawberry one. When he stepped into the line, there was already someone there. He turned to watch his daughter, but the lady in line caught his attention. She was wearing dark jeans and a carmel-colored top. She held a floppy hat in one hand, and a bag of outdoor games in the other. When she had finished paying, Tony watched her make her way to the park, and set up the games not far from where Gail sat waiting for him. He grabbed another ice cream, chocolate, paid for all three, and headed back towards his daughter.

"Here you go, Gail," he said, as he handed her the vanilla ice.

"Thank you, Daddy!" she accepted the treat and started eating it while Tony walked casually over to the pretty brunette.

"Care for some ice cream?" he asked her.

"No, thank you,"she answered.

"Hmm?" he smiled as a little boy came up to play horseshoes,"Do you like chocolate ice cream?" he asked him.

"Yes!"the boy answered.

"Why don't you go ask your mommy if you can have this one?"

The lad looked up at the lady in caramel in askance,"Can I?"

The woman laughed,"I'm not your mom, Seth. But since my sister's not here, I give you permission to eat it."

"Thanks, Aunt Lilia!" he accepted the ice cream, and started running to the table Gail was at to eat it. Midway, he stopped and turned around,"Thanks, Mister!"

Tony rumbled a laugh, and turned to the woman,"So you don't like ice cream, Lilia?"

She was startled at hearing her name, but said,"It's not that I don't like it," she began,"But that I'm lactose intolerant."

"Oh, I'm sorry,"he said, taking a big bite out of his own ice,"I can run and get you some if you want."

"No, thank you," she answered.

"You're not allergic to anything else, are you?" he glanced at her as he finished his treat.

"No," she said quizzically.

"Have you eaten yet?"

"No."

"Do you and Seth want to have lunch with Gail and me?" he asked, gesturing to where the children sat.

"Umm...," she watched her nephew chatting with the little girl.

"We don't have any dairy except for Gail's milk. I brought water," he said convincingly.

"Well, if it's not too much trouble. I don't know when his mom will be back to pick him up, and I don't want to leave."

"Come on, then." He took her elbow gently and led her to the table. They ate their lunch, and talked. Seth's mother joined them a little later, and Lilia introduced her older sister, " Tony, this is Rosemary. Rosemary, Tony. And his daughter, Gail."

Rose nodded toward him in slight contempt, but grinned at Gail,"Hello, Sweetie! How old are you?"

Gail cocked her head to the side, thinking. Then she held up two fingers,"This many," she decided.

Tony laughed,"Not quite, Sweet. Your birthday isn't for a little while, yet."

"Practice," she said stubbornly.

"Yes, yes," he gave in. It was, after all, just next month.

The group parted with smiles and well-wishes, but not before he acquired Lilia's phone number, and e-mail.

As they were leaving, Rose turned to stare at him, and then whispered a little loudly,"He's cute!" to her sister. Lilia blushed, and walked faster to the car. Tony grinned, and packed up their lunch things.


	4. Chapter 4

Lonestar Calling is my own idea, however, any and all characters from the other Lonestar books are owned by Colleen Coble. This story was inspired by Carrie Underwood's 'Cowboy Casanova', but the song itself is not in here. ^^ Thank you for reading!

* * *

As Tony finished cleaning up from his picnic, another few ladies came into the park, pushing strollers, wrangling toddlers, and laughing at some shared joke. He glanced their way and categorized them in his mind automatically. They were all already married, judging from their wedding rings, but that wouldn't stop him from a little smile, a wave, and a slight wink to the oldest child.  
He figured Gail had had enough playing when she laid down on a bridge of the play-castle and sighed.  
"Sweet, are you tired?" he called to her as he picked up his bag and walked towards her.  
"Yes, Daddy,"she replied with a yawn.  
"Ready to go home, then?" they had been at the park all afternoon, and she had not laid down for a nap before they left.  
"Yes," her yawn was contagious, and he stifled it.  
"What do you want for supper? Pizza?" he asked, as he gathered her in his arms.  
"Mm, sketties," she laid her head on his shoulder, nuzzling his neck.  
"Alright, Sweet."

~~~~~}{~~~~~

Tony shuffled his daughter carefully as he unlocked the door. He pushed it open with his foot, and left it that way while he laid Gail in her bed. After putting the bag in its place, he went to the door and closed it. As he locked the door, he saw an envelope in his mail box. He leant over and picked up the envelope, taking it to the table. When he was sitting down, he examined the outside, but there were no markings, or a mailing address.  
He slit the envelope open, and pulled out the note inside.

_Tony Sawyer,_

You know what we want. We know where you are. Your wife and sister tried to hide it from us, but no one can escape us. If you don't deliver it to us, we will come for her, for your precious little brat. The same place as last time. If you try to cheat us, or call the authorities, no one will be safe. We found you once, we can find you again.

D

He sat in disbelief for a while before slamming down the note. Tony ran into his room, pulled a bag out of his closet and started shoving clothes into it. Then, he raced into his daughter's room, checked that she was okay, and gently shook her shoulder until she blinked the sleep out of her eyes. He grabbed her bag, and packed some of her clothes into each, making sure to grab her doll.  
"Come on, Gail, Sweet. We're going on a trip," he said.  
"Trip?"she asked sleepily.  
"Yes, Sweet. Come on, let's go."  
Slinging the bags over his shoulders, he picked up his daughter and ran.

~~~~~Bluebird~~~~~

"That's the last of it, thanks, guys,"Alys brushed her hands off on her jeans, and glanced over towards her son,"Hey, Ben, d'you want some dinner? Whatever you want."  
"Is there any pizza?" he asked, not looking over from his video game.  
"Yep, there's still some left. Do you guys want any dinner?" she turned to the men who had just brought in the last of her furniture.  
Michael smiled,"No, thanks. I've got to get home, I promised Evan we'd play baseball before it got too dark."  
Jack set down the box he was holding, and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly,"Err, today is... a date night. I'm taking Shannon out."  
Alys giggled. "I'd love to stay,"Allie said,"I can help you unpack after dinner. Rick needs more alone time with Matthew, anyways."  
"Alright, let me just throw some pizzas in the oven,"Alys crisscrossed her living room to get to the kitchen. She opened the freezer and pulled two pizzas out of their boxes, preparing them and putting them on pans, she turned to the others,"Ben likes mushrooms and onions, Allie, is a Hawaiian okay, other than that?"  
"That's fine, Alys. I'll unpack the dishes."  
She smiled,"Ben, will you put some things away in your room while we're waiting?"  
"Sure," he got up, shoved his game into his pocket, and went to his room. Alys sighed.  
"He misses his father,"she frowned,"It's worse here. I thought moving away from the memories would help, but he's worse here."  
"It'll be okay, Alys. God will lead him through this time, and all we can do is help."Alys sometimes envied Allie for her unwavering faith. She smiled.  
Together, the women unpacked and put away the dishes and kitchenware, chatting as they worked. Ben came out of his room a while later, and sat in the dimly lit living room, with a book. Alys was glad he had put away his game. "Turn on the light, please, Ben, you'll strain your eyes." He switched on a lamp next to his chair.  
"Is supper almost ready?" he asked.  
"Yes, just another few minutes." They poured their drinks and set the table."If your done with that, soup's on." She took the pizzas out of the oven and set them on the table.  
"Good, I'm hungry."he set down his book on the table, turned off the lamp, and headed to the back of the house to the dining room. He sat down and reached for a slice of pizza. Alys swatted his hand away.  
"Prayers, young man."  
He smiled sheepishly,"Sorry. Dear God-."  
The front door flew open, and a tall man carrying a small bundle burst in,"Where is my house!?"


	5. Chapter 5

Lonestar Calling is my own idea, however, any and all characters from the other Lonestar books are owned by Colleen Coble. This story was inspired by Carrie Underwood's 'Cowboy Casanova', but the song itself is not in here. ^^ Thank you for reading!

* * *

Alys started and jumped up from her seat,"Who are you?" she demanded.  
Allie grabbed Ben's arm and dragged him away from the side of the room that the man was on.  
"My name is Tony Sawyer, and I want to know what you've done with my house!" he shouted. The bundle he was carrying stirred, and he pursed his lips. Gently, he swayed from side to side and shushed.  
"Daddy," came a small voice. Alys glanced towards her son and Allie, and then stepped toward the man.  
"I'm Alys Murphy. I bought this land from the family that owned it five months ago. We tore down the old house and built this one. It needed it, you could've knocked it over with a hammer," she took a couple more steps forward,"Were you related to the previous owners?"  
"I was the previous owner. This- That house was bought in my wife's name. Sahra Sawer?"  
"Daddy, I'm hungry," the bundle wailed.  
"We're about to have pizza, if you like that," Alys said, recognizing the name.  
The bundle sniffled and wriggled sideways,"I like pizza."  
"Oh, such a pretty little girl!" Allie exclaimed.  
"Here," Alys gestured to the table,"Please sit down. Have some pizza. I'll make coffee, it's pouring rain."  
Tony seemed to just notice that he was dripping wet. He set his bundle down in a chair, "Are you wet, Sweet? Are you cold? Daddy's sorry, he left the umbrella at home." He checked her hair and sighed with obvious relief when he found her perfectly dry, and a bit warm.  
"Um, if you wanna change, the bathroom's just down the hall," Alys offered. He started to walk away, nodding his thanks, but she grabbed his arm,"I'm sorry to do this, but I would like to see some... er, identification." She flushed, and let go of his arm.  
"Sure, sure," he said distractedly, watching his daughter slowly fall asleep. He pulled out his wallet and showed her his driver's license. She studied it for a minute before handing it back, and smiling widely.  
"I'll get the coffee ready while you change. What does your daughter like to drink?"  
He turned and watched her, "If you heat up some milk, she'd drink it. Thank you."  
Alys watched him walk down the hall to the bathroom, and when he hesitated, she called out,"It's just there. On the right." He opened the door, and flashed her a tires half-smile.  
She pulled extra plates out of the cupboard while the coffee heated up. then, she poured some milk in a pan and heated it for the little girl,"Would you like some pizza, Sweetie?"  
"Yes, please."  
Allie took the blanket from around the girl's shoulders,"What's your name, Sweetheart?" She set a plate in front of her and cut it up into small pieces,"Ben, could you get me a fork, please?"  
The boy reluctantly got up from his seat, and got a fork from the drawer. He set it on the table next to the girl, who looked shyly up at him.  
"Gail."  
"Aw!" Allie fawned over her until her dad came out of the bathroom. Then, she reluctantly gave up her seat to him.  
Alys set a plate of pizza in front of him and a cup of coffee. She poured the milk into a plastic mug, and gave it to Gail.

~~~~~}{~~~~~

"Are you sure you want him to stay here?" Allie looked worried.  
"We'll be fine," she assured her friend. Ben and I can lock our doors," she smiled slightly,"And if he intended to murder us, would he have brought his daughter?"  
Allie didn't smile,"He could rob you. He could be homeless, and that would explain brining his daughter."  
Alys shook her head,"We'll be fine," she said again.  
Allie shrugged, accepting the other woman's stubbornness,"I'm going home, then. Goodnight, Alys."  
"'Night. Drive safe."  
When she heard the gravel crunching under the tires of Allie's truck, she turned and went into the kitchen.  
"Thank you for letting us stay," Tony said. He looked shaken, but a bit more stable than he had when he had run into the house.  
"It's nothing, I'm sorry for the mess, we've not finished unpacking," she gathered the dirty dishes and put them into the dishwasher,"Ben, are you ready for bed?"  
"I am not a kid. Good night." He got up and went to his room.  
"Er, sorry about him. He's... adjusting," she glanced at the sleeping baby in his arms, "We only have one extra room. So, you'll have to share, sorry. The bed is a queen sized one, though. It should be big enough."  
"That's more than enough. Really, thank you for doing this." He glanced around nervously,"Are you sure your husband will be okay with it?" he asked.  
"I'm not married," she said, getting up from the table,"Ben's father died just before we moved here." She twisted the wedding band which she still wore.  
"Oh, I'm sorry."  
"It's okay. You didn't know. Would you like some more coffee? I need to be up early tomorrow, there are some things to settle. So, I'm going to sleep soon. Feel free to drink the rest of the pot, I make it fresh every morning anyways, and it'll keep Ben out of it." She went down the hall to check on Ben. Her son was sitting up, still, reading.  
"Hey," she said.  
"Hi," he put down his book and scooted over to make room for her.  
"How are you doing?"  
"Okay, I guess." He looked down at his hands.  
"I know it's hard, moving here. But this is a nice place. I'm going to be helping Shannon out at the veterinary clinic,"She patted his leg,"The high school here is pretty small, you'll be able to make friends easily."  
He didn't look at her,"Yeah."  
Alys sighed,"Good night, Ben. Lock your door once I leave."  
She listened in the hall, and heard Tony preparing his daughter for bed. Then she made her way to her own room, and went to sleep.


End file.
